The Stratford Adventure (1954)

Directed by

Morten Parker

Genre

documentary film

Country

Canada

Runtime

40 min

Rated

G

Rating

6.2 of 10 from 5 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary shows how the small town of Stratford Ontario built a Shakespeare festival from scratch. It follows the founding by local journalist Tom Patterson and the work of director Tyrone Guthrie, actors Alec Guinness and Irene Worth, and the community.

informativeinspiringoptimisticearnestcelebratorynostalgicbehind-the-scenes

What happens

The Stratford Adventure is a 1954 Oscar-nominated documentary film about the founding of the Stratford Festival. It is directed by Morten Parker for the National Film Board of Canada. It tells the story of how the small Canadian city of Stratford, on the banks of the Avon River, realized the vision of local journalist Tom Patterson: the creation of a theatre for the staging of the finest Shakespearean drama. Patterson gathered a committee of local people and invited Tyrone Guthrie to advise on the festival and direct the plays. A fund was set up, an Elizabethan stage built, and Alec Guinness and Irene Worth were signed to perform alongside Canadian actors in Richard III and All's Well That Ends Well. The film shows Alec Guinness giving Timothy Findley lessons in breath control, Tyrone Guthrie directing rehearsals, and the creation of elaborate sets and costumes. It also shows the crucial meeting which took place when the project was facing bankruptcy, then visitors flocking to Stratford, and scenes from the triumphant reality of the plays. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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